


The Son of Suns

by chainsawdog



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Multi, One Shot, Wings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-22
Updated: 2017-09-22
Packaged: 2019-01-03 23:27:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12156972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chainsawdog/pseuds/chainsawdog
Summary: Since he was a child, Anakin Skywalker has had wings. Out of fear for his safety, Shmi encouraged him to keep them hidden. As he grew, it became more difficult. With the Clone Wars raging around him, Anakin’s secret is revealed.The question remains: why Anakin?





	1. Tatooine, and the Setting Suns

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Just_an_inquisitive_nobody](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Just_an_inquisitive_nobody/gifts).



Anakin’s wings first sprouted when he turned six. Shmi had done her best to help him hide them.  
  
“If Gardulla sees those, she’ll clip them,” Shmi had told him gently.  
  
Anakin knew the realities of being a slave. It didn’t surprise him that his masters would hate something so beautiful.  
  
“You could fly away from here, Ani, and she will hate that. I won’t let her hurt you.”  
  
Gardulla lost Shmi and Anakin in a bet with Watto, but Shmi had kept Anakin’s wings a secret. Even though Watto could fly, Shmi knew that he would hurt Anakin because of them.  
  
“How come you don’t have wings, Mom?” Anakin asked her, the night before his ninth birthday. “Aren’t you an Angel?”  
  
He’d heard deep-space pilots talk about Angels. They had wings. Of course, a few species could fly, but Anakin was sure that his Mom was an Angel, and that was why he had wings.  
  
Shmi smiled. She pulled his left wing gently, helping him stretch it. In the privacy of their home, Anakin could exercise his wings. He sighed with relief. Shmi ruffled his hair.  
  
“No, Ani, we’re both human,” she said quietly. “I don’t know why you have these, but I’m sure there’s a reason.”  
  
Anakin frowned. “I still think you might be an Angel, Mom,” he said.  
  
Shmi chuckled. “Oh Ani,” she said. “I love you.”  
  
“I love you too, Mom,” said Anakin.

  
  


Anakin watched numbly as his life was changed by the Jedi Knight, Qui-Gon Jinn. He wasn’t there to free the slaves, he’d said, but Anakin had caught his attention. To all outside observers, Anakin was a normal human child with a slight hunchback. There was no way Qui-Gon knew about Anakin’s wings. He didn’t know what Qui-Gon wanted from him.  
  
Anakin hadn’t known that Qui-Gon had bet on the race. He’d sold Anakin’s pod after the race, and given them to Anakin after buying parts for the broken ship. Anakin had been so excited he’d run straight home to give his mother the credits. It was then Qui-Gon that had told Anakin that he was free.  
  
Anakin pushed away the traitorous thought that this was exactly how Watto had gained ownership of him and his mother. Jedi weren’t like that, he told himself. Qui-Gon was nice, and the girl he was travelling with had been kind to him too. Anakin had asked if she were an Angel, even though she didn’t have wings. She was so beautiful, and so kind.  
  
It took Anakin a minute to realise his mother was still a slave, and that knowledge tore Anakin in two.  
  
He’d made the choice to leave with Qui-Gon before he realised his mother wasn’t free. He didn’t want to leave her. His wings strained against the bandages that bound them to his back.  
  
Shmi held Anakin as he cried, and asked Qui-Gon for one more day.  
  
“You can leave in the morning,” she said quietly.  
  
Qui-Gon nodded. 

  
  


Anakin lay in bed, afraid to get up. He could hear his mother and Qui-Gon speaking in the other room.  
  
“Anakin will need you,” she said. “Take care of him.”  
  
“Of course,” said Qui-Gon.  
  
Anakin got out of bed, and looked at the pack he’d filled with the few things he owned. His spare clothes, a kit to mend them, and extra bandages. Next to his pack, Shmi had placed a bottle of fragrant oil and the box of things he needed to keep his wings clean. Anakin would have to find time to care for them on his own, now.  
  
He couldn’t tell the Jedi about them. Anakin didn’t know how they would respond. What if they wanted to clip his wings?


	2. Naboo, and the Morning Mists

Padmé gasped softly as Anakin unfurled his wings. She reached out as if to touch them, but hesitated. Anakin looked at her, scanning her face for any sign of disgust or fear. Instead, he found wonder.  
  
His wings had grown with him. They were each as wide as he was tall, and it was getting harder to hide them. Stretching them was such a relief that Anakin groaned.  
  
His primary feathers were black, leading into white coverts and then back to grey secondaries. The marginal coverts, sprouting from his shoulders, were a reddish-brown and speckled with black.  
  
“They’re beautiful, Ani,” said Padmé.  
  
“You can touch them, if you like,” Anakin said shyly.  
  
Padmé ran her fingers through his feathers, and they shuddered. She pulled away, but Anakin took his hands in hers.  
  
“It’s okay,” he said. “That feels good.”  
  
She smiled at him, and he fell in love all over again.  
  


  
  


Anakin and Padmé had wed on Lake Como, outside her ancestral home Varykino. Soon they would have to return to Coruscant, and resume their lives as Jedi and Senator. It was too soon; Shmi was still healing.  
  
Anakin had taken his mother from Tatooine after finding her in a Tusken Raider camp. He’d held her in his arms, sure she was dying, when he realised he could help her.  
  
Anakin had curled his wings around her, and let the Force flow through him. He’d been able to heal the worst of Shmi's injuries, and carried her away from the camp.  
  
Padmé had given Cleigg enough credits to transport Shmi to Naboo. There, she had been treated by one of the healers who worked for the Naberrie family.  
  
Anakin still couldn’t believe his power. He’d never thought he could be a healer, but the cocoon he’d created with his wings had allowed him to amplify his love for his mother, and his love had healed Shmi. Shmi was alive. Anakin had saved her.  
  
She'd even been well enough to attend Anakin and Padmé’s wedding, and Anakin hadn’t been able to stop crying. He felt happy enough to burst.  
  
Despite his joy, war still loomed on the horizon. The Battle of Geonosis was only the beginning. Obi-Wan had discovered a secret battalion of cloned Mandalorian warriors on Kamino. The Jedi had invaded Geonosis in an attempt to apprehend the potential Sith, Count Dooku. Anakin wasn’t sure how bad the fallout would be.  
  
For now, however, he was home. His mother and the love of his life were with him. With them, he could be himself.  
  
Here, on Naboo, Anakin was free.

  
  


“They need you, Ani,” said Shmi.  
  
This was Anakin’s second parting from his mother. He felt as he had at nine years old, when he’d left Tatooine to join the Jedi Order.  
  
“But I want to stay with you, Mom,” said Anakin.  
  
“I know,” said Shmi. She touched his cheek. “But the Galaxy needs your help.”  
  
Anakin closed his eyes, not bothering to hide his tears. “I’ll come back,” he said. “I promise.”  
  
Shmi smiled. “I know,” she said. “You saved me, Ani. Now you have to take care of yourself, okay?”  
  
“I’ll see you again, Mom,” Anakin said firmly. He hugged her tightly, not wanting to let go.  
  
Padmé touched his shoulder. “Ani, we need to leave,” she said.  
  
He stepped back from his mother, and sighed.  
  
“I’ll come back,” he said again. “I promise.”


	3. Coruscant, and a Fragile Sunset

“Obi-Wan, I –”  
  
Anakin’s voice cracked. Obi-Wan stared at him, mouth slightly agape. He’d walked in on Anakin getting changed. There were bandages as Anakin’s feet. He’d taken a moment, just a moment to stretch and –  
  
“Anakin?”  
  
“I can explain,” said Anakin, although he wasn’t sure how he could explain this.  
  
His heart was too full; he felt joy at seeing his friend, but he was terrified that Obi-Wan might reject him.  
  
despite it being Qui-Gon’s dying wish the Council had decided that Obi-Wan wouldn’t train him. Instead, Anakin had bounced from Master to Master, constantly being told that he was too emotional. Unconventionally, Anakin had ended up training alongside Obi-Wan, who had been Knighted after killing the Sith Lord, Darth Maul.  
  
Anakin had realised his feelings for Obi-Wan before being reunited with Padmé. Now he was worried – he still felt love for Obi-Wan, but he was married to Padmé. He adored her, of course, and she knew his secret. She had even helped move the Lars family to Naboo, at Shmi’s request.  
  
How could he feel love for both Padmé and Obi-Wan?  
  
“Please don’t hate me,” Anakin said quietly.  
  
Obi-Wan looked stunned. He shook his head. “Anakin, they’re beautiful. Why… why have you kept them hidden?”  
  
Anakin’s heartbeat pounded in his ears. _Beautiful_. Obi-Wan had called him beautiful.  
  
“I was afraid,” Anakin said quietly, although Jedi weren’t supposed to be afraid. “I was afraid someone would clip them. Or that I would be cast out of the Order.”  
  
Obi-Wan took a step forward, and Anakin flinched.  
  
“Anakin, I won’t hurt you,” said Obi-Wan. “I won’t tell a soul. This is your secret, not mine.”  
  
Anakin nodded, and let Obi-Wan approach.  
  
“May I?” asked Obi-Wan, holding out a hand.  
  
Anakin felt the heat rise in his face, and his voice caught in his throat. He nodded again.  
  
Obi-Wan brushed Anakin’s feathers, and Anakin had to bite his lip to keep from trembling. It took all his willpower not to moan.  
  
Anakin snapped his wings away, closing them against his back.  
  
“Can you help me with the binding?” he asked.  
  
Obi-Wan nodded. “Of course,” he said. “But doesn’t it hurt?”  
  
Anakin shook his head. “Not anymore,” he said. “When I was a kid it was uncomfortable, but Mom said it was for the best. Gardulla… and Watto, I guess, would have hurt me because of them.”  
  
“Oh,” said Obi-Wan, softly. “And you thought we would do the same?”  
  
Anakin knew ‘we’ meant the Jedi. He nodded.  
  
“They won’t,” said Obi-Wan. “I won’t let that happen, Anakin.” 

  
  


“Do you love him?” Padmé asked.  
  
Anakin started. He looked at Padmé. They sat together, in her apartment. Anakin had told her that Obi-Wan had seen his wings. There must have been something in his tone, or maybe his expression, that had put that thought in Padmé’s mind.  
  
“Obi-Wan?” asked Anakin.  
  
Padmé nodded.  
  
“No,” said Anakin. “Of course not.”  
  
Padmé raised an eyebrow.  
  
“I mean, I love you, Padmé,” said Anakin. “I can’t love him too.”  
  
Padmé smiled. She took Anakin’s hand and kissed his knuckles. Then she reached up and ran a hand through his hair. He spread his wings, curling one around her. She leaned her head against his shoulder, tucking her knees to her chest.  
  
“Ani, something I love about you is how much love you have,” she said. “Just because you love me doesn’t mean you can’t love others. And I know…” her voice faltered. “I know Obi-Wan is important to you.”  
  
“Not as important as you,” Anakin said quickly.  
  
Padmé laughed. “Oh, Ani, aren’t you listening? It’s okay. He’s cute – I can see it.”  
  
“You’re not jealous?”  
  
“A little,” said Padmé. “But we can make this work. I know how much you love me, Ani. Just promise not to leave me behind.”  
  
“I would never, Padmé,” said Anakin. “I will always, always love you.”


	4. Coruscant, and the Hope of Dawn

Anakin gave up on hiding his wings from Ahsoka because she was too curious for her own good. He was pretty sure she’d found out before he told her. There had been a moment in their first mission together where his bandages had slipped, and he was sure that she’d seen.  
  
“Can you fly?” she asked. “Does Master Kenobi know? Why do you keep them hidden?”  
  
“I can fly, but I don’t ever have a chance,” said Anakin. “Obi-Wan does know. I keep them hidden because I don’t want anyone to know I have them.”  
  
“Are you worried that people will think you’re weird?” Ahsoka asked.  
  
Anakin smiled. “No,” he said. “Well, yeah, I was, but I’m more worried that… I don’t know. That someone will clip them.”  
  
“Clip them?”  
  
“I can only fly if they’re intact. If someone took a part of my primary feathers, I wouldn’t be able to fly.”  
  
“Why do you have them? Aren’t you a human?”  
  
Anakin shrugged. “I don’t know, Snips,” he said. “Mom never knew, either.”  
  
“Some of the younglings said you’re the Chosen One,” said Ahsoka. “So, maybe it’s because of that?”  
  
Anakin laughed. “If you want to believe that sort of thing,” he said.  
  
Ahsoka paused, then said quietly, “So, you remember your Mom?”  
  
Anakin glanced at her. “I do,” he said. “Actually… I still talk to her sometimes.”  
  
“You do?” asked Ahsoka.  
  
“Yeah,” said Anakin. “You know I only joined the Order when I was ten.”  
  
Ahsoka raised her eyebrows. “No way,” she said.  
  
“I thought you knew that,” said Anakin.  
  
Ahsoka shook her head. “I thought you’d been brought to the Temple like every other youngling,” she said. “That’s kind of unusual, Skyguy.”  
  
“Maybe it’s because I’m the Chosen One,” Anakin said sarcastically.  
  
Ahsoka laughed. “Who knows?” she said. “Your wings are really cool, though. I don’t think you should hide them.” 

  
  


Anakin confessed his marriage to Padmé, and Obi-Wan sat for a while in stunned silence.  
  
“Well,” Obi-Wan said. “That’s certainly surprising.”  
  
“Is it?” Anakin asked quietly.  
  
“Yes,” said Obi-Wan. “I thought you were gay.”  
  
Obi-Wan was blushing, and Anakin felt heat rising in his face, too. Obi-Wan’s pale skin betrayed his embarrassment far more than Anakin’s dark skin.  
  
“I – why would you think that?” Anakin asked.  
  
Obi-Wan looked away. “Well,” he said slowly. “I… thought, maybe, that you might…” his voice dropped so Anakin could barely hear him. “… me…”  
  
Anakin raised his eyebrows. “What?” he asked.  
  
Obi-Wan looked Anakin in the eyes. “I thought you might love me,” he said quickly.  
  
Anakin’s breath caught in his throat. “Do… do you love me?” he asked.  
  
Obi-Wan closed his eyes. “It hardly matters now,” he said.  
  
Anakin had never heard him sound so frustrated. He smiled.  
  
“Obi-Wan, I do love you,” he said.  
  
Obi-Wan’s eyes snapped open, and he looked furious. “Don’t,” he said. “I will not allow you to make light of this.”  
  
Anakin got to his feet, spreading his wings so that they cast a shadow over the room. He walked over to Obi-Wan, and knelt so that he was between Obi-Wan’s knees.  
  
He looked up at Obi-Wan, hands on Obi-Wan’s thighs, and said, “I love you. Padmé knows this, and she said I could tell you. I love you, Obi-Wan.”  
  
Obi-Wan placed his fingers beneath Anakin’s chin, and Anakin allowed himself to be pulled up towards Obi-Wan. Anakin looked into his eyes, and Obi-Wan cupped Anakin’s cheek in his hand.  
  
“Truly?” asked Obi-Wan.  
  
Anakin nodded, and Obi-Wan kissed him. Anakin’s knees buckled, but Obi-Wan followed the movement. They lay on the floor together, Anakin curling his wings around them as Obi-Wan straddled his lap. He leaned down to kiss Anakin again. Anakin’s hands ran down Obi-Wan’s spine, and he took great pleasure from the moan that escaped Obi-Wan’s lips.  
  
In the hours that passed, they became one in the Force. Anakin could feel everything that Obi-Wan felt, and he was sure the same happened to Obi-Wan. They fell asleep together afterwards, arms around one another and Anakin’s wings cradling them.


	5. Courscant, and a Luminous Day

The Council discovered Anakin’s wings while there was a Zillo Beast rampaging through Coruscant. He had little choice; the other option was to let either Padmé or Palpatine fall to their deaths. Anakin saved both of them. He was confused by the look of repulsion on Palpatine’s face, but was unable to ask about it, as he was summoned to the Temple immediately.  
  
Anakin stood before the Council. His wings were unbound now; there was no point in hiding them. The Council was silent.  
  
Then: “Qui-Gon told us you were human,” said Mace Windu.  
  
Anakin nodded mutely.  
  
“Wings, you have,” said Yoda. “A human feature they are not.”  
  
“How did this happen?” asked Windu.  
  
Anakin shrugged. “I’ve had them since I was a child,” he said. “When I was born there were… nubs on my shoulder blades. Then when I was about six they started growing. And feathers sprouted from them.”  
  
“Why hide them?” asked Depa Billaba.  
  
Anakin was surprised. She rarely spoke to him.  
  
“I… was afraid,” Anakin admitted. He felt like a child.  
  
“What were you afraid of, Skywalker?” asked Plo Koon.  
  
“That they would be clipped,” said Anakin. “That my flight would be taken from me.”  
  
“Do this the Jedi would, you thought?” asked Yoda.  
  
Anakin shook his head. “No,” he said. “I… I didn’t think so. You won’t, will you?”  
  
“Of course not,” said Shaak Ti. “To do so would be unforgivably cruel.”  
  
“Perhaps the fear stemmed from your childhood,” Obi-Wan said, haltingly. He looked at Anakin for permission to continue. Anakin nodded slightly. “Your… owners would have taken this from you. Could that be it?”  
  
Anakin nodded. He’d talked about this with Obi-Wan and Padmé, before.  
  
“What do you think this might mean?” asked Ki-Adi Mundi. “Qui-Gon Jinn believed Anakin to be the Chosen One, and he is the only human I have ever seen with wings.”  
  
“You think there’s a connection?” asked Saesee Tiin.  
  
“I could discuss this with Jocasta,” said Luminara. “She may know more about the prophecy.”  
  
“A good idea, that is,” said Yoda. “Visit Master Che, Skywalker should. Study these wings she will. Find their purpose we may.”  
  
Anakin bowed low, and left. He was hyper aware of the looks from all he passed. Now everyone could see how different he was.  
  
“Hey Skyguy,” said Ahsoka. She’d run up beside him, and now matched her pace to his. “So, the Galaxy knows about your wings now, huh?”  
  
Anakin smiled at her. “Looks like it,” he said. “I’m on my way to the Halls of Healing so Master Che can study me.” He pulled a sour face, and Ahsoka laughed. “The Council seem to think that my wings have something to do with… well, me being the Chosen One.”  
  
Ahsoka raised her eyebrows. “I knew it!” she said. “Rex isn’t gonna believe this, you know.”  
  
“He saw them anyway, when I saved Padmé and the Chancellor,” said Anakin. “He has to believe it.”  
  
“You flew?” asked Ahsoka.  
  
Anakin nodded.  
  
“The Chancellor’s probably glad you saved him, then,” said Ahsoka. She gave Anakin an uncomfortably knowing look. “Senator Amidala, too.”  
  
“Actually, the Chancellor looked… disgusted,” Anakin said quietly. “I don’t know why.”  
  
“Maybe you should ask him,” said Ahsoka.  
  
They reached the Halls of Healing, and Anakin paused outside. Ahsoka touched his arms.  
  
“Hey Skyguy?” she said.  
  
“Hm?”  
  
“If the Chancellor doesn’t like you because of this, then maybe he doesn’t really care about you.”  
  
“That was… wise,” said Anakin.  
  
Ahsoka rolled her eyes. “Okay,” she said. “I’ll try not to give you advice in the future, then.”  
  
Anakin laughed. “Sorry,” he said. “I’ve got a lot to think about. Thank you, Snips.”  
  
Ahsoka nodded, and watched as Anakin walked away, into the Halls of Healing. 

  
  


Anakin hesitated outside the Chancellor’s office. He could hear Palpatine talking to Mas Amedda. His heart was racing at the thought of what Palpatine might say about his wings. He didn’t want Palpatine to hate him.  
  
“… was going to train him, as my apprentice,” Anakin heard Palpatine say. “Yet now that I have seen his mutation I fear that it is too late.”  
  
“What do you mean, my Lord?” Anakin heard Mas Amedda ask.  
  
“The colours were balanced,” Palpatine explained. “If he were easily corrupted, his wings would be more red. Instead… they were mottled. A perfect balance of colours.”  
  
“I don’t understand,” said Mas Amedda.  
  
“Unless I find something to push him over the edge, the boy will never become Sith.”  
  
Anakin’s eyes widened, and he clapped his hands over his mouth. He turned tail and ran to tell Padmé what he had heard. 

  
  


There was a full investigation, and Palpatine was apprehended. Mon Mothma was voted in as Chancellor of the Republic, and Bail Organa as Vice Chancellor. Together they worked to bring peace to the Galaxy. Anakin and Obi-Wan captured Dooku. With the help of Barriss Offee, Ahsoka managed to kill General Grievous.  
  
Just like that, the war was over.  
  
It didn’t feel real. Anakin stood with Padmé and Obi-Wan, on the balcony of Padmé’s apartment. Peace had been brought to the Galaxy, and Anakin had played a significant role. There were still things the Jedi didn’t know; they didn’t know about Obi-Wan, or Padmé. They didn't know what Anakin's wings meant, although Anakin had a few ideas. Anakin wasn’t sure what would happen next.  
  
For now, he knew the Galaxy had been lightened of a burden. Stretching his wings in the setting sun of Coruscant, Anakin felt too, as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.  
  
Only Padmé noticed the new flecks of gold in his feathers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was initially meant to be a short, one-chapter one-shot. The ending is a summary of the ideas that would have taken me a much longer time to write.
> 
> This was a birthday present for my friend! Thank you for reading!


End file.
